2008.05.28 @ 22:53

Comic-Salon Erlangen, May 22-25, 2008

Posted on 2008.05.28 at 22:53

Just a bunch of pictures and some sloppy captions for a quick survey of our stay at the Comic-Salon Erlangen this year.

Most photos by Ulli Lust, some by me. In Berlin, I took the early train at 5:50 a.m. to Erlangen, so I figured there was no use going to sleep the night before. When I arrived, I took a couple photos, and after that completely forgot about my camera for the rest of my sleep deprived stay. I might have vaguely figured I could download the pictures taken by my mind later anyway. Actually having to man a "camera" to do that seemed ridiculously archaic. Thus, no pictures from the exhibitions by Dorgathen, Blain, Guy Delisle, Line Hoven, Chinese comics (Manhua), or "Fumetto heute!", the one about the new Italian comic artists, or the group show of regional artists who work in comics-related idioms, including the great Michael Jordan ...

Shame on the big Hendrik Dorgathen retrospective! I didn't have enough time to appropriately take in all the fascinating work on display, and even neglected to take a single picture. Here are his wife and daughter in the background, next to an unknown couple, all having fallen for the Panini sticker album craze, this years innovation, forcing you to seek the stickers with drawings by many artists presented by the Comic-Salon at various places, the exhibitions, publisher's booths at the fair and even Bars ...

Line Hoven (winner of the Icom-independent comics prize) and Ulli Lust, relaxing (meaning: denying their hordes of fans a signature in their respective books while these valuable minutes were carelessly wasted on chitchat!).

Single Mawil and Ulli Lust (absolutely engaged for nine years and one day when this photo was taken) at the Reprodukt booth.

Anke Feuchtenberger, this years winner of the festivals most important prize, "Best German Comic Artist", and Nicolas Mahler, who won the prize for the best strip series (Flaschko), after already having won the prize for the best German comic last year. He made a faint attempt at declaring the jury's choice an act of pity for his perseverance despite marginal book sales, but I could clearly feel he's ready to accept his being the new mainstream role model for any young funnybook newcomer aiming at the big time.

It was a real pleasure to meet David B. again after quite some years, if only for a couple minutes. He won the prize for the best international comic this year. Here he's at a panel discussion, sporting his new grey beard, succesfully designed to give his at times scathing persona a smoother touch. At least I hope that's just mimikry. I want to hold on to the Nasty French cliché ...

Wow, that blurred something is me, lecturing away about Electrocomics, taking an at best half awake audience on this Sunday morning at 11 a.m. on a journey through our programme (ok, I admit the half awake one was me. The audience was sound asleep). Ulli Lust left the duties of conversational grandstanding on the podium all to me this time, adding the occasional remark from the auditorium, where she sat busy signing more copies of her new book.After the lecture, I took part in a discussion panel about whether publishing houses are still needed in the age of online comics. I managed to make my points early on, so I could doze off a bit through the second half of the discussion, especially when a German indie comics artist/publisher told us how he doesn't like to read comics at his computer and about how annoying communication with readers on the web is ... all extremely interesting positions which would have been fully supported by my grandpa, hadn't he been unable to attend due to his being dead.

On to some prettier sights ...

Mind you, as effortless as these phantastic creatures seem to manifest themselves before our dazzled eyes, they require quite some work. In this case even help from a technical assistant (a degree in engineering required, I'm sure).

I like how many cosplayers bring body types into the fantasy world most manga- or animé-artists fail to cover in their work. On the right: Wittek, comic artist from Hamburg.There isn't any cosplay for "alternative" comics fans yet. Although there's always a bunch of people disguised as Jeffrey Brown, and an impressive array of stunning Rusty Brown lookalikes at any given comics festival.

And finally, the long awaited meeting of Superman and Superfiske (whom only very casual observers might mistake for Jimmy Olsen in this shot)!Photo taken by Steffen Kverneland, Lars Fiske's co-artist on the book "Olaf G.", depicting their beertensive pilgrimage on the tracks of their idol Olaf Gulbranssons through Bavaria. Both made impressively clear at their stay in Erlangen that all their excessive beer swallowing displayed in the book was in no way an exaggeration, but merely their daily routine.Good thing Erlangen is situated in Franken, the part of Bavaria where arguably the best beer is brewed ...

Comments:

european cartoonists are so much thinner than american ones. i was in an elevator at mocca last year and was certain it was not going to work. you guys should tour the states telling comic book people to lay off the donuts.

i'm assuming the guy that doesn't read comics on his computer was a religious fundamentalist.

by coincidence there just happened to be many skinny cartoonists in these photos. most of my colleagues are rather average, like me, and feel really relieved when they hear many women don't mind moderate beer bellys ... but a couple years ago i stayed at david b.s place in paris, and he really has an almost empty fridge. that guy runs on miso soup and not much else. quite unlike many most comics fans i saw in erlangen ...

the anit-webcomics guy is a funnybook fundamentalist, emphasis on "funny". he calls us the "art school comics" guys. but he studied at an art school, too. it doesn't show, though.